A Sense of Poise and Rationality
by MarvelousThings07
Summary: This AU oneshot is inspired by and loosely based on the Panic! At The Disco song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” It’s the story of Norrington’s wedding, the rumors surrounding his bridetobe, and his lingering feelings for his exfiancée, Elizabeth.


Author's Note: This very AU one-shot is inspired by and loosely based on the Panic! At The Disco song "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." It's the story of Norrington's wedding, the rumors surrounding his bride-to-be, and his lingering feelings for his ex-fiancée, Elizabeth Swann Turner.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or Panic! At The Disco. But it would be really cool if I did.

A Sense of Poise and Rationality

Part 1: The Wedding

James Norrington paced the in front of the altar in the church where he was to be married in less than an hour. The church had been beautifully decorated, with garlands of fresh flowers and sheer ribbons draped over the pews and around the windows. It would truly be a lovely wedding, but James' thoughts were not on the setting, but on his bride-to-be. Margaret Blair was a fine woman. Her father was the owner of a large and successful sugar cane plantation and a well-respected man in Port Royal. As for Margaret herself, she was beautiful and lively, with light blond curls and flashing green eyes. She was proper and always followed society's rules. Her life was guided by duty and propriety. He was lucky to be engaged to such a woman. But James could not be happy due to one simple fact: she wasn't Elizabeth. She wasn't the woman that he had loved for years, the brave, stubborn, beautiful woman born into privilege who had abandoned her pampered life to become a pirate. James cursed himself. Even on his wedding day, he couldn't get his former fiancée out of his head.

_She's married to another man now_, he told himself._ Forget about her._ But he knew it was futile. For good or ill, he would always love Elizabeth.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of voices in the hallway. "What a beautiful wedding!" The voice belonged to Samantha Aldridge, Margaret's best friend and maid of honor. "Yes, the wedding will be lovely!" chirped Eleanor Ross, another bridesmaid.

"It's such a shame, though. The poor groom. I don't think James knows the truth about his bride-to-be," Samantha said devilishly.

"Shhh! Samantha, you know we should not speak of such things!" Eleanor replied, pretending to be scandalized. The two girls then erupted into a fit of giggling.

_What could those two possibly be talking about?_ James wondered. He had an idea what they were speaking of, as he recalled a conversation he had had with Elizabeth a month ago…

"_Elizabeth, I'm getting married," James told his ex-fiancée simply. Though it had not worked out between the two of them, they had remained friends. He still loved her and always would, but she was happily married to William Turner, the blacksmith-turned-pirate. He could not say that he was happy about this fact, but there was little he could do to remedy his situation. At least she was happy. Elizabeth seemed genuinely pleased with James' announcement. _

"_Really James," she said, her eyes filled with excitement. "To who?" Elizabeth ran through all of the unmarried girls in Port Royal who could have accepted Norrington's proposal. Perhaps it was one of her friends. _

"_I'm engaged to Margaret Blair," he answered. The excited look on Elizabeth's face immediately turned to one of horror._

"_No. You can't be engaged to her. She's simply awful," Elizabeth said. "Of all of the girls in Port Royal, she is the worst one you could have picked."_

"_Why do you say that?" James asked, beginning to get annoyed. _

"_Well, she's…um…she's not exactly the 'purest' girl in Port Royal." Elizabeth said, trying to break the news of Margaret's previous exploits as gently as possible. Oh, if James only knew the things she had heard about Margaret. _

"_You're lying!" James shouted. He was angry at Elizabeth now. Was it not enough for her to break his heart? Why did she have to spread rumors about his bride-to-be? "You just don't want me to be happy! I thought you were better than the gossipy girls in town. Now I see that I was sadly mistaken."_

"_James, I do want you to be happy!" Elizabeth countered. "That's the reason that I'm telling you what I know! Usually I wouldn't talk about other people's personal lives, but this girl is bad news. She's not what you think. She isn't an innocent little virgin who will faithfully love and obey her husband."_

"_And how did you come by such information, dearest Mrs. Turner?" James asked. _

"_I saw her with another man," Elizabeth replied flatly._

"_Perhaps she was just speaking to him, as you and I are now," James said._

"_No, I mean I saw her _**'**_with' another man," Elizabeth said. "I don't tell you this to hurt you; I tell you this to warn you."_

"_Who, pray tell, did you see Miss Blair with?" James asked._

"_I'm not going to say. Just know that I would not lie to you James."_

"_Yes you would. You're not the girl I used to know. You're a pirate." He looked straight at her, his eyes full of anger. "Leave me alone, Mrs. Turner. I don't wish to speak with you any longer." _

_Elizabeth sighed. "Very well James," she said. "But don't say I didn't warn you. Don't say I didn't try to save you from making the worst mistake of your life."_

_I don't need anyone to save me, Elizabeth, _James thought to himself now, a month later, on his wedding day._ Least of all you. _

James had tried to block that conversation from his mind, but he had found it difficult to forget. Though Elizabeth was a pirate, James doubted that she would lie to him. And now this; this behind-hand gossip uttered by giggling girls on their friend's wedding day. There could be no denying that something was going on that he didn't know about. He didn't care. He would marry Margaret, regardless of her past. He would prove to everyone that he could be happy, and he would attempt to prove to himself that he was over Elizabeth.

The church was beginning to fill up with guests. The wedding's guest list could have been a who's who of Port Royal's elite: All of the wealthiest and most prominent persons were in attendance. This included Governor Swann…and his daughter. Maybe it had been a mistake to invite Elizabeth, but she and James were friends after all, and people would have talked if she had not been in attendance. Of course, people were talking anyway. _How could Admiral Norrington have invited a known pirate to his wedding? _They asked. James sighed. It was impossible to please these people. How he envied Elizabeth, who had completely disregarded society's rules and chosen her own path. She was the bravest person that James knew. He would have liked some of her bravery today, he thought as he watched the church fill. Before he knew what was happening, music began to emanate from the church's organ. James watched in a daze as the flower girls and bridesmaids made their way to the front of the church. It was now time for the bride to begin her walk down the aisle. James heart was pounding as Margaret slowly made her way down the aisle in time to the wedding march. She looked beautiful, with her blond curls framing her face, and her green eyes shining. However, it was not love that shone in her eyes, but triumph. Of all of the girls in Port Royal, she was going to marry James Norrington, the handsome, wealthy admiral. That was fine with him; he didn't love her, there was no need for her to love him. It was better this way.

Margaret reached the altar, and James took her hands in his as the priest began the standard wedding service.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join James Norrington and Margaret Blair in holy matrimony," the priest intoned solemnly. James concentrated on every word of the service, trying his hardest to forget that it was not his beloved Elizabeth standing in front of him. He was reminded of this sad fact when the most important question of the ceremony: "Do you, James Phillip Norrington, take Margaret Alice Blair to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

With these two words, James Norrington sealed his fate.

"If there are any here that object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest said. James knew that there was at least one person in the church that did not approve. He also knew that she would never say a word. James looked into the crowd. His eyes immediately came to rest on Elizabeth's face. She met his gaze, her face devoid of emotion. She was not going to give anything away. James was brought back to reality again by the priest.

"By the power vested in me by the Church of England, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

James lifted Margaret's veil and leaned toward her. As their lips met, he closed his eyes and pretended that he was kissing Elizabeth, the only woman he would ever love.


End file.
